I'm loading the dishwasher after unloading it. I will point out that I hate doing dishes, but, I like loading better. It gives the kitchen a pretty quick makeover to hide all those dishes away. And, boy oh boy, do we generate a kitchen full quickly. Loading, loading...oh right, I was going to wash the pears. Wash pears. Back to dishwasher. Unloading, unloading...gross, this plate is nasty. How did it not get clean at all? Oh, right. whoops. Now I have to find the nasty dishes I did manage to put away. Concentrate on loading, loading...
Quade and Avery know how to do this job. Next I'll train them to do laundry.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tag-a-long's note
So, here I am just filling this blog with things I wrote before, but, this is for Shelly. When Shelly's cat, Tag-a-long, was dying last year I had a note running through my head of what he would have said to her if he could. I typed it all out and thought it was better to give it to her before he died. I know some people don't really "get" having pets, especially cats because they are so independent. Tag-a-long was a different sort of kitty. That cat would come when she called him and stayed by her. He was timid of strangers and only sat with me a handful of times. He was small, poufy and had low lying ears that reminded me of Yoda. Even his little cat noises were different. Mainly, he was with Shelly through every event that happened to her in her adult life. How can she deal with loosing him when most people will just pass it off as a pet dying?
This is what he had to say to her, (note: runny nose guy is Shelly's fiance who is allergic to cats)
You were there for me when I was tiny and only had a box as a home.
You were there to feed me and keep me warm, so I could grow.
You made me feel special with all the sweet things you say, in that voice I know is only for me.
I was there when you felt sad, or hurt, I slept as close as I could.
I was there to tame that giant dog, I was here first!
I was there when we moved houses, over and over.
I was there when you felt sick, stressed, I slept closer and closer.
I was there when my wild little brother came home one day.
I let little brother stay, but I was here first.
You were there for me when my adventure over the balcony went all wrong.
You searched for me and found me, I knew you would.
You cleaned me up and made me warm again.
I was there when we moved, and moved.
I was there when it was just you, me and brother.
I slept even closer.
I was there when you were happy , really happy.
I was there to meet the guy with the runny nose; Is this what makes you happy?
I was here first.
You were there for me when we moved AGAIN to the biggest house I have ever seen!
You were there to make me feel safe in this new place.
I was there to make you feel safe in this new place.
I was there for you when you were happy.
I was there when you brought home that dog, that’s all I have to say about him.
You were there to make that dog be nice to me,
I was here first
I was there when you brought home that other dog. She makes the other one seem like a genius.
You were there to make her be nice to me, too.
You were there when I didn’t feel very good.
You were there for little brother when he didn’t feel good.
I was there when you were so, so sad.
I’ve been there for you and you have been there for me.
I wouldn’t feel good leaving you in this place if you weren’t happy, and I know you are. I know that runny nose guy makes you happy and I can tell you are healthy
I think this is the best we have ever been and that you will be fine. I couldn’t leave you unless I knew this.I’ll always be with you, I will always tag along
This is what he had to say to her, (note: runny nose guy is Shelly's fiance who is allergic to cats)
You were there for me when I was tiny and only had a box as a home.
You were there to feed me and keep me warm, so I could grow.
You made me feel special with all the sweet things you say, in that voice I know is only for me.
I was there when you felt sad, or hurt, I slept as close as I could.
I was there to tame that giant dog, I was here first!
I was there when we moved houses, over and over.
I was there when you felt sick, stressed, I slept closer and closer.
I was there when my wild little brother came home one day.
I let little brother stay, but I was here first.
You were there for me when my adventure over the balcony went all wrong.
You searched for me and found me, I knew you would.
You cleaned me up and made me warm again.
I was there when we moved, and moved.
I was there when it was just you, me and brother.
I slept even closer.
I was there when you were happy , really happy.
I was there to meet the guy with the runny nose; Is this what makes you happy?
I was here first.
You were there for me when we moved AGAIN to the biggest house I have ever seen!
You were there to make me feel safe in this new place.
I was there to make you feel safe in this new place.
I was there for you when you were happy.
I was there when you brought home that dog, that’s all I have to say about him.
You were there to make that dog be nice to me,
I was here first
I was there when you brought home that other dog. She makes the other one seem like a genius.
You were there to make her be nice to me, too.
You were there when I didn’t feel very good.
You were there for little brother when he didn’t feel good.
I was there when you were so, so sad.
I’ve been there for you and you have been there for me.
I wouldn’t feel good leaving you in this place if you weren’t happy, and I know you are. I know that runny nose guy makes you happy and I can tell you are healthy
I think this is the best we have ever been and that you will be fine. I couldn’t leave you unless I knew this.I’ll always be with you, I will always tag along
a pictue of him as a kitten, it's an old picture- he's in the back. White with black on his head.
Mother's Cookies
You would think an event would have to be pretty dramatic to be one of the few memories that you have from your earlier years. I have these;
~Getting my doll, Stephanie, when I was 2. It's very foggy, but I know it happened because my parents confirmed the details I gave them.
~Being on a walk with my brother Thom, my Mother, and some other lady. Thom, who is under one year old at the time, spits up on his shirt and my Mom's friend knelt down to the stroller and rubbed his shirt together in the front to make the stuff soak in. I thought that was weird and I was only three.
~Bouncing on my Mom's leg as she sang "Banbury Cross". We were in a laundromat and I was three-ish.
~Eating the little round sprinkles that are on "Mother's Frosted Circus Animals" cookies out of the carpet with my brother Thom. I was four, he was two. I don't remember eating the cookies, but whatever was left in the bottom of the bag made it all over the carpeting in the living room and Thom and I spent a great deal of an afternoon scanning every inch of the carpet for sprinkles.
These are strange memories to hold on to. Not dramatic or exciting. The last one I have here about the sprinkles has played into the last couple months with the closing of the "Mother's Cookies" factory. It was bad timing for me.( I'm sure all the people that lost their jobs were feeling the same way.) My Nana died two days after the election and my sister and I were talking about things that could help memorialize her. One small thing would be to continue keeping cookies in the cookie jar at our Dad's house. Nana never baked, but she was spectacular at keeping goodies in the house. So we said we would always keep that jar stocked with "Mother's" cookies. We went to three grocery stores only to find empty space where cookies used to be. We had so many other things going on at the time that we let it go. About a week after her memorial service I remembered to use my trusty Google search bar to find out what was up with "Mother's". That's when I found out the bad news. I wasn't in a great state to be hearing any bad news. Quickly I figured out that they were sending all the last cases to a store nearby and so began the cookie therapy. I'm not sure what my reasoning was, but I bought a lot of cookies and ate enough to, I don't know- make me so sick of them that I would be fine with never having them again.(?) The store still has some left. You can tell they are running out. The regular stores still have a big sad hole in the cookie section and I'm not so sick of the cookies that I will never want one again. I think the cookies became a distraction from the real issue. Nana died. It's baffling, cookies or no cookies.
There will always be cookies in that green cookie jar. Maybe our new vow should be that they should never be home made.
~Getting my doll, Stephanie, when I was 2. It's very foggy, but I know it happened because my parents confirmed the details I gave them.
~Being on a walk with my brother Thom, my Mother, and some other lady. Thom, who is under one year old at the time, spits up on his shirt and my Mom's friend knelt down to the stroller and rubbed his shirt together in the front to make the stuff soak in. I thought that was weird and I was only three.
~Bouncing on my Mom's leg as she sang "Banbury Cross". We were in a laundromat and I was three-ish.
~Eating the little round sprinkles that are on "Mother's Frosted Circus Animals" cookies out of the carpet with my brother Thom. I was four, he was two. I don't remember eating the cookies, but whatever was left in the bottom of the bag made it all over the carpeting in the living room and Thom and I spent a great deal of an afternoon scanning every inch of the carpet for sprinkles.
These are strange memories to hold on to. Not dramatic or exciting. The last one I have here about the sprinkles has played into the last couple months with the closing of the "Mother's Cookies" factory. It was bad timing for me.( I'm sure all the people that lost their jobs were feeling the same way.) My Nana died two days after the election and my sister and I were talking about things that could help memorialize her. One small thing would be to continue keeping cookies in the cookie jar at our Dad's house. Nana never baked, but she was spectacular at keeping goodies in the house. So we said we would always keep that jar stocked with "Mother's" cookies. We went to three grocery stores only to find empty space where cookies used to be. We had so many other things going on at the time that we let it go. About a week after her memorial service I remembered to use my trusty Google search bar to find out what was up with "Mother's". That's when I found out the bad news. I wasn't in a great state to be hearing any bad news. Quickly I figured out that they were sending all the last cases to a store nearby and so began the cookie therapy. I'm not sure what my reasoning was, but I bought a lot of cookies and ate enough to, I don't know- make me so sick of them that I would be fine with never having them again.(?) The store still has some left. You can tell they are running out. The regular stores still have a big sad hole in the cookie section and I'm not so sick of the cookies that I will never want one again. I think the cookies became a distraction from the real issue. Nana died. It's baffling, cookies or no cookies.
There will always be cookies in that green cookie jar. Maybe our new vow should be that they should never be home made.
Monday, January 12, 2009
A Note about Nana
This is a note I wrote and posted on my Facebook while my grandmother was in the hospital. I'm re-posting it here because I'd like to have anything I manage to write all in one place. The picture was taken with my camera phone. I think the low quality of the picture means more to me than if I had been planing to take a picture and brought in the big DSLR. Those last days we had with her in the hospital changed me in a great way- I still feel the effect, and I'm so glad my family and I got them.
Nana
Nana moved out to Oregon the same time that we did. We shared a moving van and all lived in my Dad's tiny house while we looked for a house to buy. She lived her whole life in New York. Oregon has been quite the adjustment. Living near her family made it all worth it though. She turned 90 this last February and this July marked 7 years in Oregon. I've spent the last couple days in a hospital room with her and members of our family. She wasn't supposed to get this sick, we don't know why it got this bad, but now we find ourselves just making her comfortable. She sleeps mostly and adjusts her blankets. Sometimes we get a little glimpse at her eyes and she will say a word or two. She has no pain and is so peaceful. Even in her small movements you see the grace that she has always had. She has beautiful hands. All day she folded them over and under the blankets. She spun her wedding ring. My Grandpa put that wedding ring on her finger. Loosing Grandpa was so hard on her and I know she wants to go see him again. Really we can all be sad because we will miss her so much, but I am comforted by her peacefulness. Like she wants to go be with him now. I got a picture of her hands, they say so much about her.
Nana
Nana moved out to Oregon the same time that we did. We shared a moving van and all lived in my Dad's tiny house while we looked for a house to buy. She lived her whole life in New York. Oregon has been quite the adjustment. Living near her family made it all worth it though. She turned 90 this last February and this July marked 7 years in Oregon. I've spent the last couple days in a hospital room with her and members of our family. She wasn't supposed to get this sick, we don't know why it got this bad, but now we find ourselves just making her comfortable. She sleeps mostly and adjusts her blankets. Sometimes we get a little glimpse at her eyes and she will say a word or two. She has no pain and is so peaceful. Even in her small movements you see the grace that she has always had. She has beautiful hands. All day she folded them over and under the blankets. She spun her wedding ring. My Grandpa put that wedding ring on her finger. Loosing Grandpa was so hard on her and I know she wants to go see him again. Really we can all be sad because we will miss her so much, but I am comforted by her peacefulness. Like she wants to go be with him now. I got a picture of her hands, they say so much about her.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
I need to stop multi tasking
I would like to think I will write in this thing once in a while. I have notes running through my head all day. I saw an elderly man riding a BMX bike the other day. I nearly lost control of the car trying to get to my camera phone. I missed the opportunity to get the shot of this guy but I had a full story that would have gone with the picture.
When I run, I listen to my iPod. I make music videos in my head and sometimes have to re-play the song once I figure out the whole set-up. This is probably why I am able to run long distances. My problem now is many things.
1. I am a lazy writer. I'd rather talk
2. I'm horrible at typing
3. I procrastinate
4. I'm sure there is some other reason
Today I am trying to write in all my dates on our calender. The calender has always been my diary, I save them every year so the kids can look back and see that they were never as bored as they remember they were. I got out 2 old calenders to copy dates off of and our school calender, so I can write in school holidays and such. My first problem occurred after realizing I'd grabbed 2004's calender and that was the year I had Kaevin. I started looking at my Ob. appointments and the day I "felt the baby kick!". Awww, that's cute. I didn't even know he was a boy yet. Then Avery's 3rd Birthday party, Quade learning how to read fluently...etc. Then I hear a car in the driveway and see that it is Quade's classmate, Sarah. Oh, yeah! Girl scout cookies. I disregard the fact that the Eugene marathon is in less that four months and order five boxes. I talk a bit with her Mom and when she leaves I remember that I really wanted to clean off the dining room table. I have to pull out the vacuum for this ( dried play dough nuggets everywhere). Somehow I end up vacuuming the kitchen, dining room and then start on the living room when I see the calenders. Oh, right, that's what I was doing. So I finish vacuuming and then realize I never wiped off the table, which was the point of getting the vacuum out in the first place. So I wipe off the play dough free table and decide to start my blog page, only to be reminded a paragraph back that the calenders were still on the couch because Kaevin found them. Now I'm thinking I'll do them tonight when everyone is in bed. I think the new season of "24" starts tonight.
Webster here is my lifelong friend.
When I run, I listen to my iPod. I make music videos in my head and sometimes have to re-play the song once I figure out the whole set-up. This is probably why I am able to run long distances. My problem now is many things.
1. I am a lazy writer. I'd rather talk
2. I'm horrible at typing
3. I procrastinate
4. I'm sure there is some other reason
Today I am trying to write in all my dates on our calender. The calender has always been my diary, I save them every year so the kids can look back and see that they were never as bored as they remember they were. I got out 2 old calenders to copy dates off of and our school calender, so I can write in school holidays and such. My first problem occurred after realizing I'd grabbed 2004's calender and that was the year I had Kaevin. I started looking at my Ob. appointments and the day I "felt the baby kick!". Awww, that's cute. I didn't even know he was a boy yet. Then Avery's 3rd Birthday party, Quade learning how to read fluently...etc. Then I hear a car in the driveway and see that it is Quade's classmate, Sarah. Oh, yeah! Girl scout cookies. I disregard the fact that the Eugene marathon is in less that four months and order five boxes. I talk a bit with her Mom and when she leaves I remember that I really wanted to clean off the dining room table. I have to pull out the vacuum for this ( dried play dough nuggets everywhere). Somehow I end up vacuuming the kitchen, dining room and then start on the living room when I see the calenders. Oh, right, that's what I was doing. So I finish vacuuming and then realize I never wiped off the table, which was the point of getting the vacuum out in the first place. So I wipe off the play dough free table and decide to start my blog page, only to be reminded a paragraph back that the calenders were still on the couch because Kaevin found them. Now I'm thinking I'll do them tonight when everyone is in bed. I think the new season of "24" starts tonight.
Webster here is my lifelong friend.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
